The spirit of Islam: a design brief for a central mosque in Wellington

Abstract

After years of colonial domination the Islamic world is now undergoing a tremendous wave of resurgence. Traditional Islamic societies are waking up to their cultural and religious heritage. This Islamic resurgence is clearly felt in small minority communities who are living within the Western social system such as in New Zealand. Their attempts to establish an identity has seen the construction of two mosques in New Zealand in addition to the formation of a number of regional organisations as well as a national Muslim federation. Wellington has the second largest Muslim population in New Zealand. At present a refurbished house is being used for prayers and other religious as well as social gatherings. The house is now too small to accommodate the full congregation on important festivals such as Eid and the community has long since outgrown the facilities available within this house leading to an urgent need for facilities of a more permanent nature. This report sets out to study traditional mosque architecture as a basis for formulating a design brief for a Central Mosque in Wellington. It aims to determine those aspects of traditional Islamic architecture which are relevant and important for building in New Zealand.